Introduction

Abstract

The genus Glycyrrhiza (Liquorice) includes well-known traditional medicinal plants growing in several regions of the world. The stolon and roots of the plants have been used in traditional medicine by humans for over 4000 years and it has been described as “the grandfather of herbs” (Ody in The complete guide medicinal herbal. Dorling Kindersley, London, p. 75, 2000). Glycyrrhiza genus consists of about 30 taxa, of which only 15 taxa have been studied so far (Blumenthal et al. in Herbal medicine: expanded commission E monographs. Integrative Medicine Communications, Newton, MA, 2000; Sultana et al. in Agr Bio J N Am 1:957–960, 2010; Chopra et al. in Int J Pharm Pharmacol Sci 5:57–160, 2013; Altay et al. in J Plant Res 129:1021–1032, 2016). The plants included in the genus Glycyrrhiza are perennial herbs native to the regions in the Mediterranean, central and southern Russia, Asia Minor, and parts of Iran. It is now widely cultivated throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia (Blumenthal et al. in Herbal medicine: expanded commission E monographs. Integrative Medicine Communications, Newton, MA, 2000).